Jewelry article base combined with detachable ornament mounting



Dec. 1, 1970 A. SIEGEL ET AL 3,543,535

JEWELRY ARTICLE BASE COMBINED WITH DETACHABLE ORNAMENT MOUNTING Filed Nov. 13, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 INVENTORS ARTHUR S/EGEL CHARLES E S TR/N A T TORNEY Dec. 1, 1970 A S|EGEL ETAL 3,543,535

JEWELRY ARTICLE BASE COMBINED WITH DETACHABLE ORNAMENT MOUNTING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 13, 1967 INVENTORS THUR S/EGEL CHARLES ESTRl/V BY FIG 1/ VM MJ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,543,535 JEWELRY ARTICLE BASE COMBINED WITH DETACHABLE ORNAMENT MOUNTING Arthur Siege], 63-61 99th St., Forest Hills, N.Y.

11374, and Charles Estrin, 7303 183rd St., Flushing,

Filed Nov. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 682,168 Int. Cl. A44c 17/02 U.S. CI. 63-29 17 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Article of personal adornment having an ornament detachably connected thereto and held in attached condition on the article by separable, cooperably pivotal members and interengageable locking means spaced from such plvotal members. In a preferred embodiment one of the pivotal members is a pin located in an opening in a base and on which is slidably mounted a tube provided on an ornament mounting. The thus loosely connected pivotal members are locked in their pivotal relation by the locking means composed of a locking element provided on the base and a locking element mounted on ornament mounting. The interlocked pivotal members and locking means both connect the ornament mounting to the base. A movable blocking member is also provided to facilitate the connection of the pivotal members and to prevent their inadvertent separation.

This invention relates to articles of personal adornment such as rings, cuff links, pendants and other jewelry, shoes, handbags and other articles on which ornaments such as stones, jewels, and the like may be mounted.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved construction enabling the ready attachment of a number of ornaments to a particular article of personal adornment.

In accordance with the invention, the ornament is provided on an independent mounting formed to be detacha-bly connected to a base forming part of the article. The ornament mounting and the base are provided with cooperable pivotal members which are readily interconnected to pivotally connect the mounting to the base and which are readily separable to accomplish a quick release of the mounting from the base. The pivotal members are preferably slidably interengageable and when such interengagement is effected through a side opening in the base, the base is provided with movable blocking means to permit such interengagement to be made and to prevent detachment of the ornament mounting from its slidable connection. The base and mounting preferably have interengageable means to releasably lock the blocking means in blocking position. In addition to the cooperable pivotal members, the ornament mounting and the base are provided with interengageable locking members for securing the pivotal members in interengaged relation and being cooperable with the latter to properly secure the ornament mounting to the base.

For a better understanding of the invention, as well as the advantages and novel features thereof, reference is made to the following description which should be read in connection with the accompanying drawings which show by way of example the invention embodied in a finger ring and in a pendant, and in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a finger ring provided with a detachable ornament;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the independent mounting for the ornament;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the body of the ring;

FIG. 4 is a detail showing in perspective the construc- "ice tion of one set of interlocking elements for connecting the ornament mounting to the base provided on the ring body;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the body of the ring;

FIG. 6 is a detailed vertical sectional view showing the means for automatically opening a gate on the body of the ring;

FIG. 7 is a pendant provided with a base of the type provided on the ring body;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of ornament mounting;

FIG. 9 is a top perspective View of a ring base formed to interlock with the ornament mounting of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another form of ornament mounting embodying the invention; and

FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of a ring base cooperable with the ornament mounting of FIG. 10.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally the body of the article on which may be integrally formed as shown in such figures, or to which may be attached as shown in FIG. 7, a base 11 for carrying the mounting 12 for an ornament 13. The ornament 13 may be constituted of a stone, or a jewel, or any other type of ornament and may have any configuration desired, and is connected to the mounting 12 in any suitable manner known to the art.

As is shown more clearly in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the mounting 12 is composed of a support 15 for the ornament 13. The support 15 is shown in the shape of a ring for the circular ornament 13 illustrated, but may have any other suitable configuration and may be in the form of a plate depending upon the type of ornament that is to be provided on the mounting. Also, as is known in the art the support 15 may be provided with prongs or other suitable means for attachment of the ornament thereto. Connected to the underside of the ornament support 15 in any suitable manner, either formed integrally therewith or separately formed and attached thereto, is a slide member 16 in the form of a cylinder. The slide member 16 is located to one side of the support 15 and is disposed horizontally, transversely thereto. The slide member 16 cooperates with a slide member 17 in the form of a pin on the base 11 to pivotally connect the support 15 to such base in a manner which will hereinafter be more fully explained. Located on the support 15 in diametrically opposite relation to the slide member 16, is a depending lock member 18 adapted to interlock with a lock member 19 formd in the base 11. The lock members 18, 19 constitute cooperable locking members for locking the cooperable slide or pivotal members 16, 17 in their interengaged relation and in the embodiment shown, the lock member 18 forms the male part and thelock member 19 forms the female part of a snap lock that is closed when the support 15 is pressed down on the base 11 and is opened when the support 15 is lifted away from the base 11. The support 15 is further provided with 21 depending latch member 20 that engages with a latch member 21 provided centrally of the upper edge of a gate 22 pivotally mounted on the base 11. The latch members 20 and 21 cooperate to automatically open the gate 22 when the support 15 is lifted away from the base 11 as will hereinafter become more clear.

The base 11 has a substantially annularly-shaped body portion 25 and is provided with a central opening 26 which is defined in part by the upper edge of the gate 22 and in part by the upper inner edge 27 of such body portion 25. The gate 22 is is substantially shield-shaped, and is defined by its upper edge which is curved to form a continuing section of the upper body edge 27 to complete the opening 26, and by a lower curved edge 28 of such concaved configuration that its ends meet the ends of the upper edge of such gate. The body of the gate 22 closes a similarly shaped cut-out in a side of the annular base 11 and is configured so that in its closed condition it completes the exterior configuration of such base 10. The gate 22 is provided at its lower or bottom end with a hinge element 30 which is located between and aligned with a pair of spaced hinge elements 31 mounted on the base 11. A hinge pin 32 extends through all three hinge elements 30, 31 to hingedly connect the lower end of the gate 22 to the base 11 so as to enable the gate to be swung outwardly about the axis of pin 32 away from the base '11. The gate 22 is releasably locked in closed position by locking means constituted of a pair of lock members 35 mounted on the end portions of the upper edge thereof and engageable with a snap action with a pair of projections 36 provided on the extremities of the inner wall of the upper body edge 27. The gate 22 may be further releasably locked in closed position by forming the free end of the slide member 17 so that it engages under the upper edge of the gate 22 with a snap action in the manner of the lock members 18, 19. Thus, the slide member 17 which is secured at its other end to the inner wall of the upper body edge 27 at a place opposite to the gate 22 and which extends transversely across the base opening 26 toward the gate 22 and under the upper edge of such gate as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, may have its free end formed to provide additional locking means for the gate or blocking member 22 in the form of the male part of a snap lock which engages with a recess 37 in FIG. 5 of the type of lock member 19 under such upper edge with a snap action to releasably lock the gate 22 to the slide member 17.

It will be understood from the foregoing description of the parts that the ornament mounting 12 constitutes one of any number of mountings provided with different ornamentation that may be attached to the base 11. In attaching such a mounting 12 to the base 11, the gate 22 of the latter is first opened to permit free access to the end of the slide member or pin 17. The other slide member or tube 16 is slid onto the pin 17 while the mounting 12 is in a tilted position as indicated in FIG. 4 so that the lock member 18 may pass over the top of the base 11. When the tube 16 of mounting 12 has been fully mounted on the pin 17 so that further movement thereof is stopped by the inner wall portion of the base 11 on which the pin 17 is secured, the mounting 12 is pressed down so that it pivots on the pin 17 and the locking member 18 thereof engages the locking member of the base 11 with a snap action. The mounting 12 is now properly secured to the base 11 and is releasably locked against displacement from such position. The gate 22 is now moved to closed or blocking position and pressed down so that the members 35, 36 of the end locks properly engage with a snap action to releasably lock the gate in closed position. As has been indicated, if the pin 17 and gate 22 have been provided with snap lock parts in the manner described, when the gate is fully closed, the lock member on the end of the pin '17 will interlock with the lock member 37 on the upper edge of the gate 22 to effect a locking action of such gate intermediate its ends as well as at its ends.

When the gate 22 is moved to closed, locked position in the manner above described, the latch member 20 on the mounting 12 will also come into proper engagement with the latch member 21 on the upper edge of such gate. These members also constitute the means for automatically unlocking the gate locking means (locking members 35, 36) and therefore will be in proper relation to automatically open gate 22 as the mounting 12 is initially lifted to disengage such mounting from the base 11. It will be noted from FIG. 6 of the drawings that the engaging portions of the latch members 20, 21 are shaped to exert a camming action tending to pivot the gate 22 outwardly about the axis of pin 32 when latch member 20 is lifted with the support 15 as the mounting 12 is pivoted about the axis of pin 17 during the disengagement of the locking members 17, 18. The camming force exerted by the members 20, 21 in such operation is sufiicient to disengage the locking members 35, 36, and break the locking interengagement of the pin 17 and gate 22, with a snap action, thereby causing the gate 22 to automatically snap open to permit the withdrawal of the tube 16 from the pin 17 and consequently the complete disengagement of the mounting 12 from the base 11. The base is now ready for the reception of another mounting 12 provided with a dilferent ornamentation than that carried by the removed mounting.

It will be understood from what has been previously indicated that the aforesaid construction may be embodied in any article of personal adornment. Thus. FIG. 7 of the drawings, illustrates how the invention may be embodied in a pendant 40. In such embodiment, the pendant 40 is provided with a base 11 constructed similarly to the base 11 above described and capable of having detachably connected thereto mountings 12 of the construction above described. Bases of this nature can also form part of a ladies handbag, her shoes, and other articles of a like nature.

FIGS. 1-7 of the drawings show constructions embodying the invention in which the pivotal members 16, 17 are interengaged through an opening provided in a wall of the base. It is within the contemplation of the invention to utilize pivotal members which are so constructed that while one of such members may be mounted in the chamber 26 provided in the base, the other of such pivotal members may be interengaged with such one pivotal member through the open top of such chamber. Thus, as is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, the ornament mounting 12 may be provided with a depending shank 46 on the bottom end of which is formed a pivotal member 45 which is disposed at right angles to the shank 46 and which is connected at its central portion to the latter. Located in the opening or chamber 26' of the base 11" is a transverse plate 47 provided with an opening having an elongated or enlarged portion 48 adapted to receive the pivotal member 45, and having a transverse portion 48' adapted to receive the shank 46 of the pivotal member 45. It will be understood that when the mounting 12 is to be attached to the base 11", the head or lower end of the pivotal member 45 is inserted through the opening portion 48 in the pivotal member 47 and then the mounting 12' is moved to cause the shank 46 to enter the opening portion 48' as is indicated in FIG. 9 of the drawings. The mounting 12 will in this manner be pivotally connected to the base 11". The pivotal interlock of the two members may be assured by cooperable locking member composed of a locking member 49 of the type of lock member 18 pro vided on the base 11" or the pivotal member 47 and engageable with the pivotal member 45 when the latter is properly positioned relative to pivotal member 47, as indicated in FIG. 9.

FIGS. 8 and 9 also illustrate that the locking members 18, 19 of FIGS. 1-6 may be located at other places than that shown in the latter figures. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the locking members 18, 19' cooperating with the pivotal members 45, 47 are located in spaced relation alongside the pivotal members instead of being diametrically opposite thereto as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Further, a plurality of such locking members may be provided such as the locking members 18', 19' and 18", 19" shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. When the base is provided with a blocking means such as the gate 22 in FIG. 3, the locking members 18", 19" will perform a. function similar to the locking members 20, 21 in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, the upper pivotal member shown in FIG. 8 is divided into two pivotal parts 45', 45' supported by vertical shanks 46', 46' which are connected at their upper ends and depend from a bar or plate 50 provided on the ornament mounting 12". It will be observed in FIG. 11 of the drawings, that the outer ends of the pivotal parts 45', 45 engage in inclined slots 51, 51 formed in the free ends 52, 52 of the legs of a U-shaped member mounted in the opening 26" of the base 11". The legs of the U-shaped member engage the wall portions defining the upper edge of the opening 26" so that the slots 51, 51 are in effect grooves provided in the base 11". To connect the mounting to the base, the pivotal parts 45', 45 are inserted into the open ends of the slots or guideways 51, 51 and are moved downwardly and inwardly of the latter until the inner ends of such parts 45', 45 which form part of cooperable locking members come into interlocking engagement with the locking members 49', 49' formed on the central portion of the U-shaped member 52. The ornament mounting 12" is then pivoted down to bring it into secured relation on the base 11" with the end of the cooperating locking members 18, 19, or 18', 19' or 18", 19" such as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 8 and 9.

As is indicated in FIG. 11 of the drawings, this embodiment may be additionally provided with a plate 47' basically similar in construction to the plate 47 depicted in FIG. 9 of the drawngs, but provided with two opening portions 48 which are transverse to and communicate with the elongated opening portion 48. It will thus be understood that when the embodiment of FIG. 11 is provided with a plate 48', in connecting the mounting 12" to the base, the two pivotal parts 45', 45' thereof are initially inserted through the elongated opening portion 48 of such plate and then as they are inserted into the open ends of the guideways 51, 51, the shanks 46', 46' of such pivotal parts are inserted into the two opening portions 48', 48. With such a construction assurance is provided that even though the pivotal parts 45', 45 may becomes disengaged from the guideways 51, 51, the mounting will still remain connected to the base. When incorporating in the base a lock plate such as the plate 47', the U-shaped member 52 may be provided with a seat 53 for such plate, or the plate may be integrally cast with such U-shaped member.

While there has been hereinabove described and illustrated in the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article of personal adornment having provided thereon a base for a separable mounting for an ornament and comprising a body formed to provide an opening therein accessible from the exterior, an ornament mounting separate from said base, and means detachably connecting said mounting to said base including a pair of cooperable pivotal members unitable by joint coaction during relative movement thereof to pivotally connect said ornament mounting to said base and disengageable from united condition by joint coaction' during relative movement thereof to free said ornament mounting from said base, one of said pivotal members being mounted within the body of said base and the other of said pivotal members being mounted on said ornament mounting and being insertable through said body opening into pivotal relation with said one pivotal member, said connecting means further including a pair of cooperable locking members, one of which is mounted on said base and the other of which is mounted on said ornament mounting, said locking members being engaged in locked relation by joint coaction during relative movement thereof and being so constructed and arranged relative to said pivotal members that when interengaged said locking members both lock said cooperable pivotal members in their connected relation, and cooperate with said pivotal members to releasably connect said mounting to said base.

2. An article as defined in claim 1, in which said ornament mounting is seated on the portion of said base through which said opening is accessible from the exterior, said other pivotal member projecting from the seated side of said ornament mounting into such opening and into interengagement with said one pivotal member.

3. An article as defined in claim 1, in which said pivotal members are constructed and arranged to be slidably interengaged by movement of said ornament mounting in a direction transverse to the direction of insertion of said other pivotal member into said body opening.

4. An article as defined in claim 3, in which one of said pivotal members is a tube, and in which the other of said pivotal members is a pin having a free end insertable into said tube.

5. An article as defined in claim 3, in which one of said pivotal members has a guideway formed therein, and in which the other of said pivotal members comprises a pin engageable in such guideway.

6. An article as defined in claim 5, in which the guideway in said one member is inclined, and in which said pin is located below the body of said mounting and has a free end slidably engageable in said guideway.

7. An article as defined in claim 5, in which the guideway in said one member is key-hole shaped, and in which said pin is located below the body of said mounting and is connected in depending relation to the latter by a shank portion, said pin being insertable through one portion of said key-hole and movable into locking engagement with a part of said guideway containing another portion of such key-hole.

8. An article as defined in claim 1, in which said locking members are located in laterally spaced relation to the place of interengagement of said pivotal members and releasably hold said mounting in a given position relative to said base when said pivotal members are in interengaged relation.

9. An article as defined in claim 1, in which said connecting means further comprise a member separate from said pivotal members and interengageable with a locking member provided on one of said pivotal members.

10. An article as defined in claim 5, in which said connecting means comprise a member interengageable with said pin to lock the latter in a given position in said guideway.

11. -An article as defined in claim 1, in which said connecting means further include movable blocking means mounted on said base for maintaining said pivotal members in interengaged relation and movable to an unblocking position enabling the separation of such members.

12. An article of personal adornment having provided thereon a base for a separable mounting for an ornament, said base comprising a body formed to provide a first opening therein accessible from the exterior and having a second opening in a Wall thereof communicating with said first opening, an ornament mounting, and means separably connecting said mounting to said base and including interengagea'ble cooperable members, detachably and pivotally connecting said ornament mounting to said base, movable blocking means for maintaining said pivotal members in interengaged relation, one of said pivotal members being mounted in said first opening and having an end engageable by the other of said pivotal members accessible through said second opening, said movable blocking means preventing such access in one position thereof, said connecting means further including cooperable locking members for locking said cooperable pivotal members in interengaged relation, and cooperating with said pivotal members to releasably connect said mounting to said base.

13. An article as defined in claim 12, in which said movable blocking means comprises a gate, means pivotally supporting said gate on said base body, and locking means for releasably holding said gate in closed, blocking position.

14. An article as defined in claim 11, including means mounted on said ornament and base and cooperable automatically to move said blocking means to a position in which said pivotal members may be disengaged when said locking members are actuated to detach said separable mounting from said base.

15. An article as defined in claim 13, including means for automatically unlocking said gate locking means and moving said gate to an open position when said locking members are actuated to detach said separable mounting from said base.

16. An article as defined in claim 13, in which said pivotal member mounted on said base comprises a pin secured at one end to said base, and locking means on the free end of said pin releasably engaging said gate at a a place spaced from said gate locking means and cooperating with the latter to releasably hold said gate in closed blocking position.

17. An article as defined in claim 5, in which said pin is connected in depending relation to said mounting by a shank portion, and including a plate having a keyhole shaped opening overlying said guideway, said pin being insertable through one portion of said key-hole opening into engagement with said guideway, and when moved into interengaged relation with said guideway, the shank portion thereof enters into another portion of said key-hole opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,074,643 3/ 1937 Domenego. 2,930,209 3/1960 Altman 631 3,271,977 9/1966 Bohlinger et al. 632 X FOREIGN PATENTS 783,936 4/1935 France 6329 F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner 

